A. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to multimedia data processing by compression algorithms to analyze, classify, quantify and represent multimedia data based upon the content of the multimedia data.
B. Description of the Related Technology
Widespread use of the Internet and wireless communication has increased demand for multimedia services that stream media over the Internet and mobile/wireless channels. In Internet Protocol (IP) networks, multimedia data can be provided by a server and can be streamed by one or more wired or wireless clients. Wired connections include dial-up, integrated services digital network (ISDN), cable, digital subscriber line protocols (collectively referred to as xDSL), fiber, local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN) and others. Electronic devices utilizing wireless communications include telephones (e.g., cell phones), personal data assistants (PDAs), hand-held and portable computers and others. In most, if not all of these applications, bandwidth requirements and/or restrictions necessitate that multimedia data processing utilize a source encoder incorporating multimedia compression algorithms to analyze, quantify and represent multimedia data to convey the maximum information by expending a “minimum” number of bits. Characteristics of such algorithms vary significantly which leads to large scale variations in their performance (such as compression efficiency and bit rate). Characteristics of multimedia processing using compressions algorithms can vary significantly based on content, which can lead to large scale variations in their performance (such as compression efficiency and bit rate).
Some multimedia data processing schemes use certain types of information to classify the multimedia data. Typically, image classification algorithms are based on some form of image segmentation methods. Image clustering algorithms have been proposed in MPEG for MPEG-7 (photo clustering). Image classification algorithms currently proposed and described in literature have been based on mathematical and statistical aspects of the multimedia data. Improved methods and devices for processing and encoding multimedia data could have a wide range of applications in both wired and wireless communications, and it would be beneficial in the art to utilize and/or modify the characteristics of such processing so that its features can be exploited in improving existing products and creating new products that have not yet been developed.